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What are three common stories in Ha Jin's "The Bridegroom"?

Ha Jin's "The Bridegroom" is a collection of short stories that gives the reader a glimpse into life in China as it struggles to find its place in the world, halfway between capitalism and communism. The common thread through each of the stories is that they tell of the lives of average citizens who have no significant power or authority. Though their life goals are modest, achieving these goals proves to be difficult due to...

Ha Jin's "The Bridegroom" is a collection of short stories that gives the reader a glimpse into life in China as it struggles to find its place in the world, halfway between capitalism and communism. The common thread through each of the stories is that they tell of the lives of average citizens who have no significant power or authority. Though their life goals are modest, achieving these goals proves to be difficult due to brutality, injustice, and government bureaucracy.


  • The short story "Saboteur" tells of a professor and his new bride, who are enjoying a casual lunch. When an officer throws a bowl of tea at their feet, the professor asks for an apology. However, he is instead arrested and thrown in jail for disrupting public order. Because he refuses to confess to the supposed crime, he is beaten. Though he is eventually released, he contracts acute hepatitis while in jail and ends up infecting hundreds upon his release.

  • In "Alive," a large earthquake causes mass destruction and many people die. Because so many died, a "Form New Families" program is established in which adult survivors are subsequently paired into new marital relationships. The new husband and wife also must adopt children and dependent elderly. "Alive" tells the story of an amnesia victim who regains his memory, but is horrified as he realizes that he now has a family in two different cities.

  • The story "After Cowboy Chicken Came to Town" tells the experience of how a fast food restaurant brings with it confusion and anger to its employees, when they see that restaurant management makes so much more than they make. Likewise, it is difficult for them to process that excess food is burned at the end of the day, rather than given to those who are hungry and who could use the food. The story ends up with the employees going on a half-day strike, but they are told they are replaceable and their jobs are terminated.

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